Double-folding car-step.



F M $1 I W. G. CORY.

DGUBLE FOLDING GAR STEP. APPLICATION FILED MAR.25, 1914.

Patented July 7, 191 1 THE NORRIS PETERS co PHOTO LITHO.. wAsHINGniN. 7 c

W. G. CORY.

DOUBLE FOLDING CAR STEP.

APPLIOATIONIILED 11113.25, 1914.

Patented July 7, 1914.

4 SHEETSSHEET 2. I

w. G. CORY.

. DOUBLE FOLDING GAR STEP. APPLICATION FILED MAR.25, 1914.

1,103,008, Patented July '7, 1914.

4 SHEETBSHEET 3.

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THE NORRIS PETERS CO. FHOTO-LITHO. WASHINGTON. D. C.

w. a. com, 4 DOUBLE FOLDING OAR STEP;

LPPLIOATION FILED MAR. 25, 1914.

Patented July 7, 1914.

4-. SHEETSSHEBT 4,

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@2 W y W wQw WJ+WW THE NORRIS PETERS ca, PHOTO-L|THO.. WASHINGTON, n o,-

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILBUR G. CORY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO STANDARD MOTOR TRUCK COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A. CORPORATION OF PENNSYL- VANIA.

DOUBLE-FOLDING GAR-STEP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July '7, 1914:.

Application filed March 25, 1914. Serial No. 827,215.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that l, WILBUR G. CORY, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Double-Folding Car-Step, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a double folding car step and to means for locking the steps in different inoperative positions.

The invention is particularly designed for attachment to open or summer cars in which the steps or running boards extend along the sides of the car for substantially its full length.

In order to provide clearance for the motors and running gear, particularly in high speed interurban practice, it is necessary to place the car floor from three feet to three feet six inches above the rail. This height is too great for a single step and necessitates the use of double steps, the practical permissible distance from the ground to the lower step being about sixteeen inches. It is customary on many lines to use the steps on the right or outer side of the car only and it is desirable to provide means for holding both steps upon the left or inner side of the car in raised or inoperative position.

The principal object of my invention is to provide improved means for holding the unused steps in raised position, said means being arranged to automatically engage and hold the steps when raised but being entirely unobstructive when not in use. It is also often necessary to temporarily raise the lower step upon the right or outer side of the car in order to provide clearance in making short turns upon city streets or in passing unusual obstacles but for this purpose it is not necessary to raise the step to its extreme upper position and the upper step may be allowed to remain in its operative position.

Accordingly it is a second object of my invention to provide means for holding the lower step in partially raised or intermediate position without disturbing the position of the upper step.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved mechanism for positioning a folding toe board or guard and holding it 'in operative relation normal to the lower step, said board being automatically moved to a position parallel to the step as the latter is raised, thus making possible a material reduction in the total width of the car when in operation.

WVith these and other objects in view my invention comprises certain devices, arrange- 111611 68, and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and more fully set forth in the appended claims.

A preferred form of the invention is shown in the drawings in which- Figure 1 is a partial side elevation showing the position of the folding steps with relation to the car when in operative position; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line 33 in Fig. l and showing the steps in operative position; Fig. 4 is a View similar to Fig. 3 but showing the lower step in partially raised or intermediate position; Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 1 and showing the steps in operative position; Fig. 6 is a partial side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 5 but showing both steps in raised position; and Figs. 8 and 9 are views corresponding respectively to Figs. 4: and 7 but showing a modified form of my invention.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 3, my improved .folding step mechanism is shown as mounted upon rigid hangers 10 firmly secured to the frame work 11 of the car. The upper step or tread 12 is bolted to brackets 13 which are pivotally connected to the hangers 10 by studs 1 1-. Each bracket 13 has a de pending projection 15 which contacts with a lateral projection 16 on its hanger, these parts cooperating to support the step in horizontal position. The lower step or tread 17 is bolted to a series of supports 18. and 19, each of which is pivotally connected to a hanger 10 by a stud 20.

Referring now to Figs. 3 and 4:, the devices for holding the lower step in partially raised position will be described. A hanger 10 is provided with a laterally projecting lug 21 so located that it may at times engage a hook 22 pivoted at 23 to a support 18. The hook 22 also has a depending arm '24 so located that the operator may place 2 arm 24 contacts with a stop 25 upon the sup- Y the step in intermediate position.

port 18thus normally holding the hook in the position shown in Fig. 3. As the step is swung upwardly to the position shown in F ig; i the beveled end of the hook 22 engages the upper edge of the projection 21 and the hook is thereby raised until it has passed over said projection after which the parts engage as shown in Fig. 4 and hold A toe board or guard 26 is pivotally connected to the step supports 18 and 19 and is normally held in vertical position by links 27 connected at one end to the board 26 and at the other end to the'hangers 10. As' the step is raised the links 27 operate to swing; the toe board to a position parallel tothe-tread, as shown in Fig. 7. A pocket 28 is provided in the outer endof the support 18, said pocket beingso shaped that it may receive the end of aswitch iron or other bar so that increased leverage may be easily secured and the steps may be thereby more conveniently moved to raised position.

The devices for retaining both steps in extreme raised position are best shown in 3 Figs. 5 to 7. .Ho'oks 29 are pivotally supported upon certain of the studs 14 which support the brackets 13. Each hook is provided with a recess 30 in its hub portion which is'adapted to be engaged by aprojection 31 onthe corresponding bracket. These parts are so located that the hooks 29 will normally rest in theyposition shown in Fig. 5 and will be raised by the projection 31 to the position shown in Fig. 7 only when the upper step is moved to its vertical position; The recess 30 is made somewhatlonger than the projection 81- thus providing a certain amount of lost motion so that the hooks 29 may be temporarily raised somewhat above the position shown in Fig. 7, as thelower step approaches its upper position. Slots 32 are provided inthe steps 17 andcorrespending openings are formed in the sup ports 19. These openings-areso located that the hooks 29 will pass" through them as the lower step is'raised. The hooks are thus permitted to engage the supports 19, as 1 shown in-Fig. 7, when the step 17 reaches its extremeupper position. The pivot l l ot the upper step 12 isso locatedthatthestep will: rlemainat rest in either horizontal or ver-- t'ical position and when in vertical position, as previously described, it will support the hooks 29 in positionto engage the lower step.

In practice, it is customary to equip one support and the corresponding hanger near the center ofeachstep section with the parts necessary to-hold" the lower step in: intermediate position,v as shown-- in Figs. 31a ndi i andto equip one hanger near each end ofeach step section with the parts necessary to I hold-both steps in raised positionaas shown in Figs. 5 to- 7. When the stepsare in use and it is merely necessary to temporarily support the lower" step in partially raised position for any one of the reasons previously noted, the operator raises the lower step until thehook 22 engagesthe" projection 21', thu's'latchingt-he step in" the inter mediate position shown in Fig. 4. It'will be evident" that the lower step can be thus manipulated even when passengers are standing upon the upper step. When'it 'is desired to fold the steps to extreme upper position, as when reversing the direction of travel at the end of a run, the upperstep iwill first be moved to the position shown in Fig. 7, thereby moving the hook 29 to opera- ?tive position. The lower step can then be swung upwardly until it engages the hook 29 by which it will be retained in upper position, the lower step itself acting as a stop to prevent movement of the upper step from its verticalposition. Whe'n-lockedin either position it will be evident that the steps can be released by merely raising one :or the other of theretaining. latches by pressure of hand or foot.

y In the modified form shown in Figs. 8- and 9 the arrangement of parts is similar to :that shown in the preceding figures,'but the proportions are varied so that the lower step when raised to intermediate position does not project laterally beyond the; outer shown in these fignres" the hanger is somewhat longer than the hangerlO shown in Figs. 3 to 7 ,and the support 190'is made somewhat shorter than the support 19,:this falteration bringing the tread 17 O-nearer the :pivot 200 so that the outer edge of the tread (will swing beneath the upper step 120 when the lower step is raised. With this propor- .;tion of parts the hook 290 engages the outer end of the support 190 instead of projecting; through a recess therein as shown inFig; 7 ;The bracket 130 which supports the upper step is provided with a dependingprojection 131 which contacts withthe outer edge of the tread 17 0 and is thus effective to hold the gupper step 120i-n raised-position:

Thefunction and operationof the-several jparts of the device is the same in each con--' struction, but it has been found that under icertainoperating conditions," suchas sub lway operation, the tormshown in Figs-8 ;and 9 possesses distinctive advantages.

Having, thus deseribedi'my invention, it igwill be evident that many changes? and imodifications can be made therein without gdeparting from the spirit and scope/thereof las expressed in the claims and I- do not wish to be limited to the specific details herein Edisclosed; but 7 j What I do claim is I 1. A double folding car step; comprising an upper step, a lower step, means-to hold. the lower step in partial-ly raised position and means to h'oldthe lowerstepin extreme upper position, said lower step in the latter position also supporting the upper step in raised position. I

2. A double folding car step, comprising an upper step, a lower step, and means to hold the lower step in partially raised or intermediate position while the upper step remains in operative position.

3. A double folding car step comprising an upper step, a lower step, means to automatically latch the lower step in partially raised or intermediate position, and additional means to automatically lock both steps in raised position.

4. A double folding car step, comprising an upper step, a lower step, and a latch for holding said lower step in raised position, said latch being normally located in inoperative position and being moved into position 'to engage the lower step by movement of the upper step to raised position.

5. A double folding car step comprising an upper step, a pivoted bracket supporting said step, a lower step, and a latch for holding said lower step in raised position, said latch and said bracket being pivoted to turn about the same axis, said latch having a recess in its hub, and said bracket having a projection cooperating with said, recess and effective to raise said latch to operative position when the upper step is raised but permitting further upward movement of the latch relative to said bracket.

6. A double folding car step comprising an upper ste a lower step, and supporting means there or, said means comprising a hanger having a lateral projection thereon, a support pivoted to said hanger and a hook pivoted to said support, said hook engaging said projection when the lower step is raised to intermediate position and being extended downwardly beyond its pivot to form a foot releasing device.

7. A double folding car step comprising an upper step, a lower step, and supporting means therefor, said means comprising a hanger having a lateral project-ion thereon,

8. In a car, in combination, a hanger, a

folding step pivoted thereon, a toe board pivotally connected at its lower edge to said step and movable about the point of connection as a center, and a link pivotally connected to said hanger and to the upper part of said toe board, said link being effective to maintain said toe board in a position normal to said step when said step is lowered and to swing said toe board to a position parallel to said step when the step is fully raised.

9. In a car, in combination, a hanger, a folding step pivoted thereon, a toe board pivoted to said step, and means to position said board normal to said step when said step is in operative position and to position said board parallel to said step when the step is fully raised.

10. In a car, in combination, a hanger, a folding step pivoted thereon, a toe board hinged at its lower end to said step and movable about the hinged connection as a center, and means to position said board normal to the step when said step is lowered and to swing the board toward the step as the step is raised, the final position of said board being substantially parallel to the step when the step is fully raised.

11. A double folding car step comprising an upper step, a lower step, means to hold the lower step in partially raised position, and means to hold the lower step in fully raised position.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand,'in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILBUR Gr. CORY.

Witnesses CHAS. T. HAW'LEY, G. F. WESSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G. 

